Christ the King: Your Triumph Isn't Winning. It's Not Quitting at Your Lowest Moment.

 

My dear brothers and sisters, today is the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Did you notice the readings the Church picks today?

On this triumphant day, this day of glory, when Jesus is ruler of all things, he is triumphant over all things. And look at the readings they used.

“The rulers sneered at Jesus. He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him.

Why are we using these readings?

On the day we honor the King of the Universe, we hear about the most humiliating moment in the life of Christ, when people beat him, spit on him, and treated him like a criminal. Why these readings?

What Would You Do With $100 Million?

Let me ask you a question. If you had 100 million dollars, what would you do? What would be the first thing?

Some would buy a really good breakfast. Others would pay off their debts. Some would throw a party for the whole family, including drinks. A younger voice might say, a super yacht in the Mediterranean. A couple of vacations. Maybe quit a job.

Pain, Suffering, and a CEO’s Superpower

Sometimes we think of millionaires and billionaires as egotistic and greedy. There is one CEO who intrigues me. His name is Jensen Wang, the founder of NVIDIA, a five trillion dollar company by market cap. He has been the CEO for 35 years and is worth hundreds of billions of dollars. He comes to work early, stays late, and is always talking about his company and what they do.

If I had that kind of money, I would have quit. In an interview he was asked, what is your superpower? He said, my ability to endure pain and suffering.

You have a hundred billion dollars. What pain and suffering are we talking about? Where am I going to put my yacht today?

He said his hero is his mother, who taught him English even though she did not know English. It means you can do whatever you set your mind, body, and soul to. Before he was a CEO, he worked at Denny’s and cleaned more toilets than any other CEO. He cleaned toilets to get through school. He takes pride in the pain and suffering he has endured.

How Do You Measure Success?

So why these readings? How do you measure success? For you, what does it mean to be successful?

Yesterday our kids played in the flag football championship, and we won. We beat another Catholic school. Even better.

You see the kids with the trophy, so happy. We took a picture. Then they handed me the trophy. It was a piece of junk, light as a feather. How do you measure success? By the victories?

Today God reminds us what he considers success. It is when you show that the mission is more important than anything else in your life. That you are willing to endure the pain and suffering that go with it. That you are not going to give up.

A Small Pinch of Sacrifice

This morning I felt a little pinch of what that means. I went to a restaurant for breakfast. As we were leaving, two or three people were coming in. I opened the door and said, here you go. I felt a little pain here, in my shoulder. They thanked me.

Then 10 more people started coming in. I kept holding the door. Finally the last person said, Father, look at this, a priest. Thank you. Wow. Thank you so much.

When you endure pain and suffering for something good, right, and beautiful, that is a triumph. That is your throne. That is God’s glory. It is when you persevere, when you feel like giving up and you do not.

Comfort or Courage

We try to escape pain and suffering. This world cherishes comfort. We all do.

Is it more comfortable, when someone is insulting my faith, to keep my mouth shut? I do not want any pain or backlash, so when people make fun of my faith, I stay silent. Comfortable.

Will I lie to keep comfort, rather than accept the pain and suffering of telling the truth? Will I cheat and feel comfortable, rather than accept the pain and suffering of doing what is right?

The Crucifix Is the Throne

Today the Lord turns everything upside down, maybe even right side up. The crucifix is Christ’s throne.

His highest moment is that low point when they say, come down from the cross, you can do it. Why not just snap your fingers and everyone’s sins are forgiven?

Imagine if the New Testament read, Jesus came into the world, snapped his fingers, and everybody was forgiven. The end.

What Real Love Looks Like

Who are the people you appreciate most in your life? The ones you have seen suffer and endure pain for you.

When you look at the crucifix, that is what he is saying: You are worth it. I love you. I value you. I respect you. I want you.

Persevere to the End

Your triumph, in God’s eyes, is when you reach your lowest moment and you do not give up. You continue. You persevere to the end, and you give glory to God.

Amen.